Virginia's defense gets tough when necessary against Penn State in 17-16 win

Though Virginia's offense was determined to put Penn State in prime scoring position throughout Saturday's game, U.Va.'s defense was just as steadfast in turning the Nittany Lions away.

Penn State forced four turnovers in U.Va.'s 17-16 win, but the Cavaliers held the Nittany Lions to minus-14 yards and three points on possessions after the turnovers. Even more impressive for U.Va.'s defense was that Penn State (0-2) started inside U.Va.'s 30-yard line after all four turnovers.

"That's what (defensive coordinator Jim) Reid emphasizes every day — that when you are put in a tough spot, that's where defenses show up," said U.Va. linebacker Steve Greer, who had a career-high 15 tackles, including two sacks. "We really wanted to execute and create an identity for ourselves."

Kicker Sam Ficken missed field-goal attempts of 38 and 40 yards at the end of two of the drives after U.Va. turnovers, and Penn State was forced to punt after another U.Va. turnover. After a lost fumble by U.Va. backup quarterback Phillip Sims in the fourth quarter, Ficken finally posted points for Penn State with a 32-yard field goal.

Speaking of Greer, his stepmother was in attendance Saturday, which created an awkward situation for him after the game — considering she's a Penn State alum.

"She's waiting outside (the postgame interview room), so I'll rub it in right after (interviews)," Greer said.

Ficken's foibles

In addition to his aforementioned misses from 38 and 40 yards, plus his last-second miss from 42 yards and a blocked extra point, Ficken also couldn't connect on a 20-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter.

Ficken, a sophomore, is the replacement for Anthony Fera, a former All-Big Ten kicker who transferred to Texas in the offseason. The last time an opposing kicker missed four field goals in a game against U.Va. was 1964, when Maryland still managed to put out a 10-0 win against the Cavaliers.

"I understand there's a lot of pressure on kickers, but I also understand the pressure that can be applied on the other side when you can push on the guards and get your hands up like the one we blocked," U.Va. coach Mike London said. "When you start doing that, you kind of create that thing where the kicker knows you're back there — you're close. Maybe we got in his head. Maybe he just missed them. I don't know."

Best of bad situation

U.Va. posted 295 yards, marking just the fourth time under London it failed to reach at least 300 yards. U.Va. lost all three of the previous games — 2010 against Virginia Tech (291 yards), last season against Tech (241 yards) and last season against North Carolina State (249 yards).

Long drive

Penn State opened the game by scoring a touchdown at the conclusion of a 17-play, 75-yard drive that lasted six minutes and 27 seconds. The last time a team had a longer drive against U.Va. was last season against Georgia Tech, which had a 19-play possession.